Although religious sounding, this is not about religion. It is about life and all that it encompasses. However, I have learned that unless you have a good understanding of the Bible and its principles, you cannot fully grasp what takes place in this world and, more importantly, why it does.
Have you ever noticed that just about every institution we have today is corrupt to some degree. I don’t mean that in every organized entity there are a few corrupt individuals; the whole organization seems to be corrupted at all levels. In fact, I would go so far as to challenge anyone to name any organization that is not. That includes education, government, business, news media, religion, etc. Why is this so?
Many years ago, I first noticed a seemingly innocuous and almost redundant phrase in my personal bible reading. It is in Revelation 12 and verse 9: “…and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world”, just a flat out statement of fact — that there is a “deceiver” and he deceives “the whole world”.
Some of us might dismiss this as just biblical rhetoric, but is it? And if it isn’t, how is it possible to deceive the “whole world”?
We find in Jeremiah 17 and verse 9: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked”, another plain statement - about the human condition. Our hearts (minds) are deceitful, including you and me. Can you accept that? It is biblical.
When you combine a master deceiver with humans who have a proclivity to deceive and be deceived, where exactly might you guess this combination can lead?
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Jer.
17:9 The heart
is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? |
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Rev.
12:9 The great dragon was hurled down … Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to earth, and his angels with
him. |
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II
Thes. 2:10-12 …in every sort
of evil that deceives those that are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For
this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the
lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but
have delighted in wickedness. |
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The matching of an arch deceiver with a susceptible subject gives us a
“perfect storm” condition and the subsequent result. In fact, as we read above, “because they
refused to love the truth …”, God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will
believe the lie” pretty much explains why this happens repeatedly throughout history. It
also helps to explain that age old question: “If there’s a God, why is there so much evil
throughout the world.”
The key question then remaining might be: Are you or I deceived? In some
things? In all things to some degree?
Don’t be quick to answer. Check it out first. (This is not easy and can be very
time consuming.)
You might be surprised!
I have found that becoming ‘undeceived’ is a process and it never ends. Whenever
I thought that I had finally found ALL the ‘truth’, I was usually deceived, at
least in part.
Paul, in I Corinthians 13:12, says that ‘now I know in part, then I shall know
fully’, referring to when he shall face Christ face to face.
Our human tendency is to almost always assume that our present state is one of
‘near perfect knowledge and understanding’. If you believe that, you are deceived.
So what should we do? Prove all things! ALL THINGS!
